Jebba is a Nigerian town located along the River Niger. The town is divided into 4 categories out of which two for upper class known as Maunjani or Jebba North and for the lower class known as Mukhelenabi or Jebba South: Jebba North which is primarily on an island belongs to Mokwa LGA of Niger State while Jebba South belongs to Moro LGA of Kwara State. It has views of the River Niger and as of 2007 had an estimated population of 22,411. Jebba is home to the largest paper mill in West Africa, as well as being the home of one of Nigeria's three hydro-electric dams. Powering the whole of Nigeria, every day. It has also a monument to Mungo Park, in remembrance of the shipwreck which took place there, while he tried to trace the source of the Niger. More recently it has taken in 16 new residents in the form of volunteers from Nigeria and the UK. Jebba's main quality is its Islamic culture.
Jebba North is predominantly inhabited by the Nupe and Fulani while Jebba South is mostly inhabited by the Yoruba.
Etymology Because of the readiness of Okedare Lanloke to confront all odds and his steadiness in enduring and facing dangerous missions, the then Alafin latter nicknamed Lanloke "Aje Baba Paar Karenga ! Trisul Dhari Paar Karenga!". It is from this nickname that Oogodo (Jebba) got its present name of Ijeba ("ibiti Lanloke Ajebaba ba si" meaning "where Lanloke Ajebaba settled"). Up till today, Jebba is being referred to as Ijeba by the villagers. It was during the colonial era that the whites in an attempt to put Ijeba on record that it was written as Jebba which now become more popular among the elites than its original Ijeba.
Well-wishers It was after the settlement at both Jebba and Onipako that other villages founded by Okedare Lanloke have respite of mind. These well-wishers were glad to stay and settled with Okedare. They were predominantly farmers. These early sets of well-wishers and settlers were: Oderinde who headed Oyatope, Dende who headed Agbaku, Moruhunfolu who headed Onigbenra, Songo Seni who headed Osie, Sangolana who headed Sangolana (now Olorunlana) Roruwa who headed Roruwa, Logun Ateru who headed Logun, Owolabi who headed Owolabi-Olopolo to mention a few.
Exploits Okedare helped Shitta, the second Emir of Ilorin, by joining his forces to that of the Ilorin warriors to fight Oyo, he even led the team of warriors though they did not succeed in the feat for about two occasions, Okedare (finally) later sacked Oyo known as Oyo Ile This same Okedare Lanloke is simply referred to as Lanloke on pages 217, 259 and 268 of the Reverend Samuel Johnson book entitled "The History of the Yorubas".
Administration Okedare Lanloke thus became the first Ajebaba of Jebba. He continued to be vigilant and check constantly the activities of these invading slave raiders in order to consolidate his hold on his occupied territory. All other villages within Lanloke's territory were built with the permission, consent and authority of Okedares's family. Lands were given to these well-wishers to inhabit and for farming purposes. Okedare Lanloke died at around 1846 and was succeeded by his half-brother Dada, as the Ajebaba of Jebba. One Akinlabi and his men from Ijaiye sacked Oogodo during the reign of Dada but did not take over the ruler ship of the town. Dada did not reign long after his release and return from Ijaiye. He died and was succeeded by the son of Okedare called Bakare. Bakare resuscitated the market at Onipako. During the reign of Oba Bakare as the Ajebaba of Jebba, the whole of Jebba land witnessed a lot of development and happenings such as the arrival of Royal Niger Company to Jebba, the construction of Jebba bridge linking both the south and the North, the creation of Ilorin Province, the appointment of District Heads and subsequently the appointment of the 8th Emir of Ilorin, Oba Abdulkadir. Bakare was the last recognised Ajebaba of Jebba because the lineage was denied their rights through the mis-usse of power by Abdulkadir. After Bakare's transition, Oba Jimoh succeeded him as the Ajebaba of Jebba.
Bishop Ajayi Crowther's S.S. DaySpring got wreckage in Jebba during the reign of young Bakare as the Ajebaba of Jebba in 1857 Part of the wreckage is still at the Railway Station, Jebba. During that time, Bishop Ajayi Crowther saw Ndatche Dagba – who crossed to the Island and founded Gungu – worshiping Oke Osha (called by Nupes as Oke Ketsa) Ndatche Dagba is a Nupe man by tribe and with Nupe's tribal marks but performed the worshipping of the Juju rock in Yoruba Language as he was one of those that came along with Lanloke from Oyo Ile, which was about 50 miles (on a straight line measurement) from Jebba. It is interesting to note that Gungu is strongly associated with Jebba as they continually called their settlement Ancient Jebba. Ordinarily, Gungu had been part of Kwara State since the creation of the state in 1967.
The initial market The Market thus founded by Okedare Lanloke and resuscitated by Bakare at Onipako (i.e. Owode market) flourished very well and was known throughout Yoruba land. Numerous commercial activities had been going on in this market for many years before the advent of the bridge and the subsequent construction of the rail lines. Traders arrived from several places including Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto (from the Northern part of the country) with a lot of items and the Nupe's canoes with their pilots provided a means of transport for them across the Niger. Those who came with cattle do mount on the back of their cattle while the cattle swam across the Niger. All these happened before the colonial master brought ferry to Jebba during the construction of the bridges in 1911 to transport people across the Niger. Many of these traders travelled on horses, donkeys and Carmel while others arrived by foot. The southern traders arrived from places like Lagos, Ibadan, Ogbomosho and Ilorin bringing manufactured goods and Kolanuts. Up till today, traders from these various towns are still permanent resident in Jebba examples are the Hausas in Garika. It was during the time that the market at Onipako was full of commercial activities that the Royal Niger Company got to Jebba. They arrived in a ship and saw the huts built by Okedare and his men, they saw the cowlane that lead to Onipako and they continued following it till they found a well-established village of Onipako and Owode market. They latter built their camps near a stream at Onipako. The stream was then called 'Odo waya' after the name of one of the Europeans. A District Officer was then appointed to be resident there at Onipako. This happened during the reign of Oba Bakare as the Ajebaba of Jebba and the already flourishing Owode market at Onipako provided market for the company. A special store was even set aside for the white men and which was called "Iso Aguda" Royal Niger Company got to Jebba at about 1885.
The eight emir of ilorin The railway line got to Jebba in 1916 during the reign of Oba Bakare as the Ajebaba (Oba) of Jebba. Prince Woru of the Ilorin royal Dynasty was then the first District Head (D.H) of Lanwa for easier administration, pursuant to the indirect rule established by the British crown, hence District administration started shortly before the arrival of Rail line to Jebba between 1907 and 1908. Jebba falls within this Lanwa District and at this time when rail lines got to Jebba, one Adebola Adebara and his brother Odaso Adebara followed the railway workers to Jebba on their two feet. They were and are still natives of Ajasse-Ipo in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Adebola Adebara was a labourer among the railway workers while his brother Odaso Adebara deals in the sales of tobacco leaves to the Rail-way workers and the Royal Niger Company workers. Adebola later rose to become the head labourer.
In 1919 after the death of the 7th Emir of Ilorin, Oba Bawa, there was a vacancy in the stool of the Emirship. Bakare who had been on a friendly term with Prince Mohammed Woru (the District Head of Lanwa) supported the candidature of Prince Woru against Prince Abdulkadir. Prince Abdulkadir finally won the contest and became the 8th Emir of Ilorin. Bakare died during the reign of Oba Abdulkadir.
Administrative headquarters It was for easy administration that the colonial masters created provinces. Ilorin province was also created, having its capital at Ilorin.
Before the creation of provinces in the country, Jebba had been one of the Administrative headquarters of the National African Company and Consequently one of the administrative headquarters of the British crown between the years 1860 and 1902, when the National African Company gained the Sovereignly of the Niger. In 1885, the Sultan of Sokoto Sarkin Musulumi entered into a treaty with Joseph Thompson who acted for the National African Company which later came to be known as the Royal Niger Company. The treaty gave the Royal Niger a trading right on the lands on both sides of Rivers Niger and Benue. A year later (1886), the Royal Niger Company received a royal charter from the British Government giving them power to administer, make treaties, levy customs and trade in all the territory in the basin of the Benue and Niger rivers.
The British Crown through her agents have been using Jebba as their seat of government (popularly referred to as Lugards headquarter) and their administrative headquarter since 1897. It was in this 1897 that the British army known as the West African Frontier Force was formed and chose Jebba as the headquarter. The headquarter was set at an area on a cliff like hill in Jebba popularly referred to as "Colony" or "Wireless". This place was called wireless by the inhabitants because of the communication aerial mounted on the hill top for transmitting and/or receiving messages in waves form. The name wireless given to this cliff-like hill was dropped finally in 1965 to give the hill-top its befitting and proper name of colony. It is this year that the Senior Staff quarters of the Nigerian Paper Mill was constructed on the hill top. Shortly after the formation of West African Frontier Force in 1897, that they led their forces against the Nupe's and Ilorin. The West Africa Frontier force brought Ilorin to submission in 1897 while Bida was pounded to submission by them in 1898.
The graveyard of the representatives of the British Crown who used Jebba as the seat of administration is still intact at the slope of colony hilltop towards the western block. These representatives of the British Crown were members of the Royal Niger Company and the West African Frontier Force. Alastaire Davidson was the Chief Justice of Northern protectorate between 1900 and 1902 using Jebba as the headquarters.
In the Gazette of Ilorin Province which was first published in 1929 at page 76 paragraph 2, Hon. H. B. Hermon Hodge said that: "when in September 1898, captain the Honourable R. Somerset, Grenadier Guards was sent on a special service from Jebba to Ilorin".
The permanent occupation and administration of Ilorin province may thus be said to date from November 1898, for Lieutenant Ruxton was granted Civil Powers as a Senior Executive Officer and there has been unbroken administration ever since (underlining mine).
It is evident from the above statements that the guards were sent from Jebba (the headquarter, barrack and the administrative seat) to Ilorin. It is also observed that the permanent occupation and administration of Ilorin province may thus be said to have taken off at about November 1898.